Real-life theater scenes

The mobile theater group of the AfroLebenPlus network presents a new play at the "Positive Encounters" in Kassel. By Axel Schock

They need neither elaborate stage technology nor lavish backdrops. On the contrary, the amateur dramatics group from the AfroLebenPlus network is mobile and, as we all know, it's easier to travel light. Sometimes a table and a few chairs are enough to tell their stories, and this can be organized anywhere: in community and cultural centers, at Afro markets and street festivals - all over Germany. The troupe takes their plays directly to the people, to where they meet migrants with African roots living in Germany.

Taboo topics of the community

For them, theater is a way of addressing all those topics that are usually taboo in the everyday life of African communities: the fear of exclusion and deportation, but also questions of sexuality or the fear of HIV-positive people of being cast out of their own community.

The mobile theater group of the nationwide network of HIV-positive migrants has been using this particular method of HIV prevention since 2008. Some members had already gained experience with it in their countries of origin, such as Uganda or Malawi, which they were then able to bring into the group. Rico* has been a regular member of the six-strong troupe for several years. The fact that his fellow actors live scattered around Germany, including in Berlin, Stuttgart, Bonn and a small town in northern Hesse, makes regular rehearsals difficult, but not impossible. "Some members prepare the content of new scenes and we then try to get as much out of the rehearsals as possible in a short space of time," says Rico. However, the reactions of the audience always make up for the effort and hardship of traveling to the performance venues.

Guest performances across the country

"It's always nice to see after the performances that the audience is interested in our plays and our work," reports Rico. Many were surprised that such a form of theater even exists, in which African immigrants from all over Germany address their audience with a clear message. Namely, "to fight against the isolation and stigmatization of migrants in Germany and to motivate others to become active themselves and do something about it," as Rico emphasizes. The mix of languages in the ensemble is a particular challenge - it ranges from Swahili and Arabic to French and Amharic. "German is largely spoken on stage," says Rico. Some of those who don't yet have a good command of the language sometimes switch to Lingála, the lingua franca and commercial language of Africa. They then translate or play in alternating languages. The forms, metaphors and ways that the theater group has found to report on their experiences, traumas and hopes often manage without any language at all. However, another reaction that Rico has already experienced at performances shows just how precisely she captures the tone and themes of the community. "Some audience members are sad and moved after the performance because the scenes resonated with them and they recognized themselves so much in them."

Personal experiences become stage material

This is why the discussions after the performance are just as important for the project as the performance itself. They offer the audience the opportunity to talk about what they have seen and share their own experiences. And this concept is also what makes the theater group so successful. "Migrant communities are considered difficult to reach for HIV prevention," explains Rico. "But because we are part of the community ourselves, speak their language, know their worries and needs, but also their experiences and realities of life, we have much better access to them and can address them in a direct and familiar way." The planned performance at "Positive Encounters" will focus on the fate of a single mother who is threatened with deportation. Rico and his colleagues hope that their guest performance in Kassel will make them even better known in the HIV community in Germany and that they will receive new invitations to other cities after the performance. The mobile educational theater performs nationwide and can be booked for all kinds of events and venues for a small fee. (*Name changed by the editors)

More information on the AfroLebenPlus mobile sex education theater

More information about the "Positive Encounters" in Kassel